Hans P. Kraus Jr. Inc. will present Pairs, juxtaposed 19th century photographs whose elements stand in contrast to one another, such as negative/positive pairs by Charles Nègre and Dr John Murray, or sometimes complement each other, similar images made using different processes by William Henry Fox Talbot, Étienne Carjat, and Frederick Evans. Works by artists including Roger Fenton, Gustave Le Gray, and J. B. Greene will also be shown.
Anna Atkins (1799-1871) is one of the earliest women photographers. On display is her South America, circa 1851-1854, a pair of leaves composed as twin shadows. Her cyanotype photograms of the 1850s are striking precursors of the expressive photography of twentieth century and contemporary artists.
Two picturesque studies of old rustic country houses made in the 1850s present a constructive comparison of the competing processes of the day. Façade d’une ferme, a salt print from a paper negative, by Henri Le Secq (1818-1882) and “Sleds cottage,” Wales, an albumen print from a glass negative, by Henry White (1819-1903) are on display. The textures of thatch roof, rough composite walls, and earthen foreground are evocatively rendered by Le Secq's use of the waxed paper process he learned from Gustave Le Gray. White’s greater clarity displays the sharper attributes of the albumen print from a collodion negative.
Finally, Kraus is presenting a pair of magnificent seascapes by Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884), Mer Méditerrannée, Cette, No. 18 [Sète] and Marine, études de nuages.
Le Gray made a series of poetic and meditative seascapes between 1856 and 1858 that brought him international acclaim for their technical and artistic achievement. Mer Méditerrannée, Cette, an albumen print from one or two collodion negatives, demonstrates his mastery of the medium with its tour de force combination of clouds, sea and sun. Capturing the dramatic effects of sunlight on water and the subtleties of cloud formations on the Mediterranean coast, with Mount Agde in the distance, this seascape is among the works for which Le Gray is most celebrated. The exquisite and luminous Marine, études de nuages, an albumen print from a single collodion negative, displays the original lustre for which Le Gray's finest prints were renowned. Of all Le Gray's seascapes this image has the lowest horizon line, thereby emphasizing the atmospheric volume of the cloud formations. This print is a particularly fine example of an image rarely found. Seeing this pair presents an opportunity to appreciate the masterful ways Le Gray painted with light.